Thank You Very Much Our Venerable Gnanasara Monk!

I kindly request this venerable monk not repeat the history of Barmaids/Barmakīyān/ Barmak in Arabic or Pramukha in Sanskrit in Sri Lankan soil with his missionary work for Islam and Muslims in Sri Lanka. 

by a special correspondent-2019-06-01

 

I happened to watch the interview of our venerable monk Gnanasara on Hiru TV. (27/5/2019) I must thank Hiru TV too for this interview. Thank you very much for you Ven monk for taking Islamic message into each Sinhalese household in Sri Lanka. In fact, taking Islam into hearts and minds of each Sinhalese in the world today. I must thank Hiru media for using its previous time to preach Islam on behalf of 2 million Sri Lankans. In fact, on behalf of 1.7 billion Muslims in the world. Many innocent Sinhalese people did not have any clue about Islam and Muslims until you have made them learn about Islam and Muslims. The majority of Sinhalese community did not have time and resources to learn about Islam until you have opened their senses and human faculties to listen about Islam and Muslims. You have created some golden opportunities for many Sinhalese people to learn about Islam and Muslims. May God bless you for this great service on behalf of 2 million Sri Lankan Muslims.

 

 

Dear Ven, monk the more you talk about Islam and Muslims, the more you educate your people about Islam and Muslims. The more you speak about the Holy Qur’an, the more Sinhalese people learn about the Holy Qur’an. The more you talk about the Holy Prophet of Islam, the more you educate your people about the Holy prophet of Islam. The more you speak about Islamic law, the more your people get interested in learning about Islamic law. The more you speak about Islamic ideological groups, the more your people learn about Islamic ideological groups. The more you speak about Islamic dress codes, the more your people learn about Islamic dress codes. Likewise, you have spoken about Islam and Muslims on many issues. I’m sure you have directly and indirectly invited Sinhalese youths to learn about Islam and Muslims in this age of digital technology and social networks. I’m sure that today, more Sinhalese youths will learn about Islam and Muslims with your missionary work on behalf of Sri Lankan Muslim community in Sri Lanka. I must thank you for this great service on behalf of innocent Muslim community of Sri Lanka. Soon After 9/11, more copies of the Holy Qur’an were sold in many western countries than ever before.

 

Curious people begun to read about Islam and Muslims in many parts of western countries soon after 9/11. Many of them ended up Muslims after reading Islamic books. In fact, it is reported that more westerners were converted into Islam after 9/11 than ever before. Likewise, I think more copies of the holy Qur’an will be sold soon in Sri Lanka too with your missionary work for Islam and Muslims in Sri Lanka. Thankfully, the holy Qur’an has been translated into Sinhala language now (without any comprehensive Qur’anic exegesis). Yet, this Sinhalese translation itself is enough to those who want to learn about Islam. You are inviting your people to read this holy book with your emotional talks, debates and behaviours. I’m sure that more and more Sinhalese people will be keen to read about Islam and Muslims.

 

Dear venerable monk. Whether you like it or not, in this age of globalization and multiculturalism people are exposed to different ideas and ideologies. This is the social phenomenon of the modern world today. No one could stop it. Whether you like it or not. It is reported that more than 1.5 million Sri Lankans work in many Gulf countries and many of them are Sinhalese. Many of them have been living over there more than 30 years. Naturally, they are naturalised with Arab customs and Islamic culture. Many of them are exposed to Islamic teaching and ideologies. Dear venerable monk why don’t you stop them from migrating into Arab countries?

 

The Sri Lankan Muslims community has been complicit in taking the peaceful message of Islam into hearts and minds of the majority of Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka. Muslims have failed in their duty to reach out with the peaceful message of Islam for the last 1000 thousand years in Sri Lanka. They have failed to do this for many reasons. The majority of Muslims do not speak in good Sinhalese language. So, there has been a language and intercultural barrier between Muslim and Sinhalese communities. Yet, Hiru and the most venerable monk have done a great job on behalf of 2 million Sri Lankan Muslim community in Sri Lanka. The entire Muslim community in Sri Lanka ought to thank them for this great service they have done on behalf of Muslim community. They have taken the peaceful message of Islam into each Sinhalese household with this interview with the venerable monk.

 

I kindly request this venerable monk not repeat the history of Barmaids/Barmakīyān/ Barmak in Arabic or Pramukha in Sanskrit in Sri Lankan soil with his missionary work for Islam and Muslims in Sri Lanka. In fact, the venerable monk and Hiru TV think that they are doing a favour for Buddhism with this campaign against Islam and Muslims, yet, they do not realise their programs are counterproductive. Hereditary Buddhist administrators of the Buddhist monastery of Nava Vihara of west of Balkh (Northern Afghanistan) became Muslims in Abbasids Era of Islamic history. These Buddhists elites occupied prestige positions and posts in Abbasids Empire. This conversion of Buddhist elites took place in medieval Islamic history. No one forced those elite Buddhists of Nava Vihara of west of Balkh (Northern Afghanistan) to embrace Islam those days. I fear that these anti-Muslims and anti-Islamic propaganda may encourage Sinhalese youths to read more about Islam in this age of social network. Please not make this Sinhalese community Barmaids of Sri Lanka. There is no compulsion in religion. You may have control over physical presence of Sinhalese community and yet, you do not have control over their minds and hearts.

 

Who could control what is going on in the minds of Sinhalese youths today in this age of digital technology? Today, the venerable monk Gnanasara Thero is ideally reaching out with Islamic message into the hearts and minds of millions of Sinhalese youths with his debates and talks. What thousands of Muslim clerics have failed to accomplish in Sri Lanka has been accomplished for Islam and Muslims by this venerable monk. Muslim clerics do not have skills and platforms to reach out Sinhalese mass with Islamic message and yet, this has been done by our venerable monk on behalf of Muslim clerics in Sri Lanka. The venerable monk claims that there are 50 Islamic groups in Sri Lanka. All these groups failed to reach with Islamic message into wider Sinhalese community in Sri Lanka. yet, our venerable monk has taken Islamic message into ears of Sinhalese community. He has indeed, created a curiosity in the minds of Sinhalese to know about Islam and Muslims. Every action has its reaction as well in this world. I’m sure now, many people are keen to learn about Islam today than ever before in Sri Lanka.

 

So, no Sri Lankan Muslim should get annoyed or angered with what the venerable monk does today in Sri Lanka rather the Sri Lankan Muslim community must thank him for his dedication and sacrifice to spread the message of Islam among his community. Finally, for Hiru, some other media and some Newspapers in Sri Lanka, you are doing a great job by promoting Islamic teaching in Sri Lanka, each negative news items are counterproductive too. People have skills and resources to verify fake news. You are indeed, doing a great service for Islam and Muslim through your negative images of Islam and Muslims. You too stimulate the curiosity of Sinhalese people to know about Islam and Muslims: A big thank for you as well.